USFWS · National wildlife refuge · Montana

Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge is in the central section of the U.S. state of Montana and is an integral part of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge Complex, managed from the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge provides nesting habitat for migratory bird species.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Wildlife Refuge4,050 acresUSFWSMT
Official page at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
2fires
active
Double Shed · 12 mi from the center · 13 acres
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Wildlife Refuge
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMontana
Size4,050 acres (computed from the boundary polygon)
FWS regionRegion 6
Center point45.9406, -109.1132
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 26)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Wildfire
    Double Shed

    12 mi from the center point · 13 acres

  • Wildfire
    Old Divide

    40 mi from the center point · 62 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

4,050 acres, measured from the published boundary polygon. The agency’s own figure can differ where the boundary includes water or inholdings.

Source: How acreage is computed

Who manages Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

What state is Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge in?

Montana.

Source: How states are assigned

How do I get to Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

A point inside the boundary is at 45.941, -109.113. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Is there a fire near Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Double Shed at 12 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 26 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Sources

  • Boundary, name: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundary layer.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
  • Description: Grass Lake National Wildlife Refuge on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.